Chess

Act One

The Broadway production of Chess opens with a gripping new prologue set during the Hungarian Uprising of 1956. Amidst the chaos of gunfire and destruction, Gregor Vassy desperately tries to distract his young daughter, Florence, by telling her the ancient origins of the game of chess. As the violence escalates, Florence is whisked away to safety, leaving her family behind in the turmoil. (Prologue / The Story of Chess)

Jumping forward 32 years, the scene shifts to a press conference at the Hilton Hotel in Bangkok, where American challenger Freddie Trumper is set to face world champion Anatoly Sergievsky. True to his reputation, Freddie is brash and confrontational. When a reporter insinuates that he’s romantically involved with his second, Florence, Freddie furiously hurls a glass of water and storms out, leaving Florence to handle the media fallout. (What a Scene / Press Conference)

Meanwhile, in Anatoly’s hotel suite, his Soviet handler, Molokov, dismisses Freddie’s antics